The Northridge Earthquake: Preparing For The Next One : Voices

“I shudder and shake as we get close to Jan. 17. Dear God, not again.”

Gloria Zucker of Sherman Oaks.

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“The total darkness was terrifying.”

Jim Cook of Van Nuys.

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“Why is it happening to me?”

From a poem by 13-year-old Richard Milos of North Hills, written shortly after the earthquake.

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“It’s kind of sad really to realize it takes a natural disaster to bring people together.”

Angelica M. Trotta of Northridge.

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“When we arrived home, our younger daughter informed us that we were not to go away overnight again. She reminded us that we were also away when the Landers quake occurred.”

Cheryl McMillan of Burbank, who was in New Orleans with her husband when the earthquake hit.

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“Our power and water were out for 2 1/2 days, and when they came back on, I was so happy I shouted out loud.”

Patricia K. Doyle of Chatsworth.

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“As I gazed at the stars on the night after the earthquake, I was thankful to be living on earth, to have the stars to look at, and to be able to hear a faint breeze in the distance.”

Mandy Flayer of Newhall.

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“The only thing to fall on me was my dad.”

Eight-year-old Cavan Ewing of Burbank.

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“A puff of smoke rises from the canyon floor. Mountains grow as another aftershock hits the Porter Ranch area of the San Fernando Valley. It’s not every day that one can witness geological evolution.”

Aileen D. Nowatzki of Northridge.

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“Every night before I fall asleep, I look at the flashlights on my night table.”

Misty Stevens of Calabasas.

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“I suddenly felt very small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, standing alone under the cold stars.”

Katherine Highcove of Woodland Hills.

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“I said to my neighbor as we held hands and stepped over the destruction in my apartment, ‘Was this the Big One?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Thank God,’ I thought. ‘It’s over.’ ”

Joni Thompson of Sherman Oaks.

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“For those who, in the twinkling of an eye, lost their future, I weep. I wish them love and say goodby. Oh, God, let us be better prepared--at least as best we can.”

From a poem written by Linda Rogers of Chatsworth.

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“I still love L.A.!!!”

Taken from a poem written by Bernie Berkowitz of Woodland Hills.